In case you've been vacationing on a remote island with no access to cellphone or Morse code, this just in: "The outlets are coming; the outlets are coming."

Yes, it's true. Our fair city, or more accurately, Simpsonville, has been selected (or some would say, honored) as the location of the latest designer outlet mall by Horizon Group Properties, a chain of destination outlet centers across the country.

I'm not sure I've heard this much anticipatory buzz around town since the Beyoncé concert. The outlets, or as they are officially named, The Outlet Shoppes of the Bluegrass, are on everyone's must-do list.

The ante was upped a bit with late-breaking announcements that Kate Spade would be among the designer shops throwing open their doors on the first day. And, now we hear that ... wait for it ... Gucci will be joining the lineup at an undisclosed time in the near future. The opening date for, yes, our very own Gucci ... is still a closely guarded secret.

But outlets have always had a slight air of mystery about them. "The outlet industry as a rule has tended to be a little secretive," says Scarlett Wesley, associate professor of apparel merchandising and tourism at the University of Kentucky. Who can blame it? After all, revealing opening dates or names of retailers at the very last minute only increases anticipation and excitement, which makes all of this more fun for everyone.

Because outlet shopping is obviously both exciting and fun. The growth in the last 10 years has been astronomical. Forty outlet centers have opened in the United States since 2006, bringing the total to 193. Eleven more — including our very own Outlet Shoppes of the Bluegrass — are scheduled to open this year. Total sales for the industry are $42 billion, according to the industry trade publication Value Retail News.

The growth has come with change. "There was a time when outlets really were just a place for stores and designers to sell leftovers and clearance and irregulars," says Wesley. "They have completely moved away from that. Now most of them are manufacturing completely separate lines for their outlets." It makes sense. "You can't operate an outlet store (or a chain of outlet stores) if you have nothing to sell but extra-large green T-shirts," says Linda Humphers, editor-in-chief of Value Retail News.

The truth is, today outlets are selling much more than drastic markdowns; they're selling incredible selection and highly coveted brands. "When you go to a regular store and you're looking for a particular item, let's just take Nike for instance, you're going to find a small selection of that particular type of brand," says Gina Slechta, vice president of marketing for the Horizon Group. "But when you walk into a Nike outlet store with several thousand square feet, you're going to get a tremendous amount more. And if you're a big fan, you want to wear Nike shoes, socks, shirts ... hats. It's all Nike, Nike, Nike. Whereas when you walk in other places, you can maybe just find the shoes."

Does that mean that some of the stuff in the outlets isn't actually sold in other stores? Yes. How much? "It totally varies from store to store," says Slechta. But it's not as if any of the designers are hiding it. If you look around, it's pretty obvious. The Gap and Banana Republic factory stores, for instance, are plainly stating that they have some differences from their mall counterparts.

"Even the labels are different," says Wesley. "Chico's has labels at their outlet stores that have a completely different name." Some brands add the word "factory" to differentiate labels; others change the type or design.

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Shocked? You shouldn't be. "The customer has to understand that they want these lower prices, but the brand cannot absorb that lower margin," says Wesley. "These brands have had to come up with techniques to lower cost. Maybe the clothing doesn't have as many embellishments, the fabric isn't the same, the stitching and finishing isn't as elaborate, the closures are less expensive. They have to come up with a way to cut costs."

Simplifying the design is one way, but it's not the only way. "Sometimes it's just the volume that saves money," says Humphers. "Or they may use piece goods left over from last year's merchandise, and it's the same level of quality. Or, for example, I buy Brooks Brothers no-iron cotton shirts at the outlets, and I think they have maybe one less button and slightly fewer stitches per inch. I'm very happy with them."

While some shoppers may not realize that this is happening, it's hardly a closely guarded secret. "The stores are very transparent about what the goods are," says Humphers. "I feel very comfortable saying that I would be shocked if a sales associate in any of these stores couldn't explain what you were buying if you asked."

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Spokesperson Gina Slechta leads a tour of Outlet Shoppes of the Bluegrass. The Outlet is scheduled to open on July 31. July 10, 2014 Yi-Ke Peng/The Courier-Journal

Spokesperson Gina Slechta, second from left, leads a media tour of Outlet Shoppes of the Bluegrass in Simpsonville. The Outlet is scheduled to open on July 31. July 10, 2014 Yi-Ke Peng Yi-Ke Peng/The Courier-Journal

Which leads to another key difference between the outlets of old and the sparkling centers of today: The service and overall shopping experience at outlet centers have become dramatically elevated.

"Outlet centers are successful because they listened to shoppers who said they want a nice environment to shop in, brands they love and bargains," says Humphers. "People said just because we're buying something at a discounted price doesn't mean we don't want to be waited on by a knowledgeable salesperson, or not be able to do returns or not have a dressing room."

While outlet shopping once involved battling with other customers for single items, trying on clothes over leggings and T-shirts in a warehouse-like structure, walking miles and miles from one store to the other with a purse stocked with snacks, today's outlet shopping experience is much more civilized. The outlets are laid out according to interests for easier access and less walking. There are food courts. Dressing rooms. Returns at many stores. And, yes, bargains.

Slechta describes the huge array of merchandise available at the outlets on any given day this way: "There are some particular, very popular items that you're going to find are comparable in price to regular stores. There are some occasional items that are extraordinarily popular and they're going to be at similar prices. The other thing you will see is maybe 3 to 5 percent will be last season's clearance (from regular stores) and they'll be drastic markdowns. But, chances are, you're going to find more selection and that selection is going to be lower priced."

Because, while the crazy-deep, 90 percent discount may be the exception, bargains are still the rule. "The average discount we always come up with (when they survey outlet centers) is about 38 percent," says Humphers. "But that ranges from 10 percent to 75 or 90 percent. And I would say 35 to 40 percent on any given day is a good thing."

Christine Fellingham is editor of Her Scene magazine and fashion editor at The Courier-Journal. Contact her at www.facebook.com/herscene, cfellingham@courier-journal.com or on Twitter @herscene.